Population: 8.46 million

Nearest Ports: Shenzhen Bay Port is one of the larger ports boasting a border crossing between Shenzhen and Hong Kong, known as the Hong Kong-Shenzhen Western corridor. By 2016 the daily two way traffic is expected to increase to some 60,300 vehicles and 61,300 passengers per day by 2016. Shenzhen also occupies a 15 kilometer port coast line. The Port at Shekou services the offshore oil industry drilling in the South China Sea.

International Airport: Yes

2007 GDP: US$96.6 billion

Notable Foreign Investors: Maersk, Foxcomm, AT&T, BP, IBM

Description: Shenzhen has steadily grown in the past 20 years into a vibrant and booming metropolitan town. It is located in the mid-southern coastline of China Guangdong Province and is the only city neighboring Hong Kong. Thus, it is an important gateway linking Hong Kong and the Mainland. By granting Shenzhen the status of a special economic zone and a number of ground-breaking incentives the government has placed a large focus on the city in order to attract foreign investment and push ahead with the policy of “one country, two systems”. It is a major site of the offshore oil industry in Shekou and also an important IT hub.

Weather: Winter: Cool, +5 low, Summer, +37, humid, sub-tropical.


Fast Facts

1. 90 percent of the computer keyboard market, 90 percent of the computer mouse market, and 70 percent of computer screens sold on the global market are manufactured in Shenzhen.
2. Migrant workers account for some 82 percent of Shenzhen’s population.
3. Per capita GDP is one of the highest among Chinese cities.

Shenzhen, which is located on the mid-southern coastline of Guangdong Province and serves as an important gateway linking Hong Kong and the mainland, has steadily grown in the past 20 years into a booming metropolitan city. In 2010, Shenzhen ranked third on the Forbes list of Best Cities for Business in Mainland China.

The city attracts ambitious young men and women from all over the country, making precise population estimates a tricky affair. With a floating population accounting for approximately 82% of total population (May 2010), Shenzhen is China’s own version of the Wild West.

Infrastructure
Shenzhen has an extensive transportation network and is at a 70 kilometer radius to the key cities of Zhuhai, Hong Kong, and Macau.

Road
There are 2,800 kilometers of roads and 200 kilometers of expressways in Shenzhen, an efficient road network that has cut travel time to neighboring cities to an hour. More than 150 buses travel between Shenzhen and Guangzhou daily, and 300 buses shuttle between Shenzhen and Hong Kong.

Railways
Shenzhen is the first city in the country to operate pre-high-speed trains along with an extensive railway network. The two major railway lines in China, the Beijing-Guangzhou Line and the Beijing-Kowloon Railway, both converge in the city. The Guangzhou-Shenzhen section of the additional rail capacity Guangzhou-Shenzhen-Hong Kong Express Railway is expected to open in August 2011, and the Hong Kong section is expected to open in 2016. Shenzhen North Railway Station in Longhua subdistrict, which is expected to become a significant regional rail hub in southern China, is also under construction. By 2015, the largest railway container center in Shenzhen costing US$286.29 million is expected to be in operation, with a total cargo throughput of 2.2-2.5 million TEUS.

Air
The Shenzhen Bao'an International Airport, located 35 kilometers from downtown, is China’s fourth-busiest airport serving 118 domestic routes and 37 international routes (including Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan). 

Ports and waterways
Shenzhen has benefited from Hong Kong’s reputation in international shipping to become one of China’s top ports. The city has 15 kilometers of port coastline and nine business port areas including Shekou and Yantian. In 2010, Shenzhen replaced Hong Kong as the world’s third busiest port after Shanghai and Singapore, handling 2.13 million TEUs. The figure is a 40.8 percent growth from the previous year.

There are 33 shipping companies registered in the city with more than 190 vessels. 46 international sea routes connect the port to Europe, Asia and the Pacific regions. Key industries include warehousing, logistics and trade, as well as bonded commodities exchange and exhibition. The port has 53 berths that can accommodate vessels above 10,000 tons.

City infrastructure
The Shenzhen reservoir channels a total of 1.1 billion cubic meters of water to Hong Kong annually, while the Daya Bay Nuclear Power Plant, located in eastern Shenzhen, transmits electricity to Hong Kong.

Shenzhen was the sixth Chinese city to get a subway system. Eight subway lines will be installed within the next decade connecting more than 420 kilometers. 

Economy and investment climate
Shenzhen is the most successful special economic zone in China. In 2010, GDP was RMB951.09 billion, an increase of 12 percent from the previous year. The city is posing a threat to Guangzhou’s stronghold as the provincial and economic capital of the south of China, riding partially on its comparatively cheaper wages.

The city’s major industries include telecommunications, computer manufacturing, and electronics. Electronics and telecommunications equipment account for over 90 percent of the total output of Shenzhen's new and high-tech industries. There are also emerging industries such as pharmaceuticals, medical equipment, biotechnology, and new materials.

Shenzhen's utilized foreign direct investment has been growing, reaching US$5.65 billion. Multinational corporations such as IBM, Intel, Siemens, Samsung, and Hitachi have all established production lines in the city.

Investors from more than 90 countries and regions have invested in Shenzhen, including 166 Fortune 500 enterprises (2009). It is estimated that as much as 70 percent of foreign overseas investment in the city comes from Hong Kong. Since the implementation of the Closer Economic Partnership Arrangement, trade between both sides has doubled with an average annual growth of 20 percent. As a manufacturing base for a wide range of industries, Shenzhen uses Hong Kong as a trade platform to connect to the global market. On the other hand, foreign companies can supply industrial products to Shenzhen through Hong Kong.

Shenzhen Stock Exchange
The Shenzhen Stock Exchange is a mutualized national stock exchange under the China Securities Regulatory Commission that provides a venue for securities trading to a broad spectrum of market participants, including over 1,200 listed companies as of 2011. The Shenzhen Stock exchange launched a Small and Medium Enterprises Board in 2004, creating a market exclusively for small- and mid-cap companies. SMEs in China account for more than 90 percent of China’s total companies and contribute more than half of its GDP.

Resources:
Government Organizations
Shenzhen Government Website: www.sz.gov.cn